Luzerne County Republican council nominees too close to call shortly before midnight

The race for five Luzerne County Republican county council nominations may still be too tight to call, but unofficial results at midnight had John Lombardo, Gregory S. Wolovich Jr., Chris Perry, Kevin Lescavage and Brian Thornton in the lead.

Those results were based on 185 of 186 precincts reporting.

The remaining Republican council contenders: Carl Bienias III, Martin Dartoe, Ronald Knapp and Michael Vacendak.

The county Republican Party’s executive board had endorsed six: Bienias, Lescavage, Lombardo, Perry, Thornton and Wolovich.

Their unofficial and incomplete vote tallies, which did not include results from Foster Township or an unknown number of yet-to-be-processed provisional ballots: Lombardo, 11,503; Wolovich, 10,254; Perry, 10,047; Thornton, 8,634; Lescavage, 8,417; Knapp, 8,345; Bienias, 8,182; Vacendak, 6,462; and Dartoe, 5,326.

Only five Democrats ran for council, allowing them to survive the primary without competition. The Democratic nominees, along with their unofficial and incomplete vote tallies: Matthew Vough, 18,097; Sheila Saidman, 17,794; Jane Walsh Waitkus. 15,888; Maryann Velez, 15,648; and Jimmy Sabatino, 14,914.

Three contenders are incumbents: Saidman, Vough and Perry, who currently serves as council vice chair.

Voters will be free to select five candidates of any affiliation in the Nov. 2 general.

The selected five will serve with six council members in seats that don’t expire until the end of 2023: Walter Griffith, LeeAnn McDermott, Tim McGinley, Kendra Radle, Robert Schnee and Stephen J. Urban. If Griffith wins the controller race in November, council would have to declare his council seat vacant and fill it with another Republican.

Council members Harry Haas and Linda McClosky Houck will serve through the end of this year but could not run again under the charter because they were elected to three consecutive terms.

County controller

There was no primary challenge in the county controller race because incumbent Democrat Michelle Bednar and Republican challenger Griffith each ran unopposed to obtain their party’s nominations. Those two will face off in the general.

Based on unofficial results at midnight (with Foster Township still out and provisionals not counted), Bednar received 20,927 votes, while Griffith received 18,876.

A 54-year-old Conyngham Township resident, Bednar was elected controller in 2013 and 2017 and is eligible for one more four-year term under the charter.

Prior to becoming controller, Bednar worked as an office manager and had served as an elected tax collector.

She thanked voters for the nomination and poll workers for their Election Day service.

“I have taken deep pride in representing the citizens of Luzerne County for nearly eight years and thank them for their continued support,” Bednar said.

Griffith, 66, of Kingston Township, previously served as controller from 2010 until 2013 and had operated an auto repair business in Nanticoke. He said he is “honored and pleased” Republican voters chose him as their nominee.

“I promise all the people of Luzerne County — Republicans, Democrats and Independents — that I will be a true watchdog and have demonstrated this trait time and time again as your county councilman,” Griffith said.

The controller is paid $64,999 annually and is the “independent watchdog over county fiscal and management activities,” according to the county’s home rule charter.